Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Hygiene can be a rather bland topic, but thinking outside the box can make the subject fun and exciting! This scavenger hunt has two versions: one for the home and one for a school setting. You can easily adapt it for various literacy levels while encouraging critical thinking, teamwork, and letter recognition. By the end of the game, the kids will also learn how to spell the word "hygiene!"

In order to print the graphics, simply click on the image to enlarge and select file-print.

Directions

Print the letters for the word hygiene
and cut out each letter, making a stack for each letter of the word (all
Hs together, all Ys together, etc.) Ensure that you have enough of each letter for each child playing.

Print the mystery message cards (one for each player).

Print the riddles and cut out.

Keep the first riddle and then hide
riddles #2-#8 using either the school version or the home version directions (see below). Place
the hygiene mystery message card in the answer for #8. For younger kids, you may wish to hide the hygiene mystery message card in the location for the answer for the first riddle so that the children can glue each letter on the card as they find each one.

School groups - divide children into seven
groups. Home - have children take turns.

Read each riddle to younger kids or
have older kids take turns reading each riddle, starting with #1. The clues rhyme; the rhyming word or phrase is in red.

Once the riddle is solved (answers below), give instructions where to find the clue in the school version or
have the children simply search in the home, providing hints as needed.

When the children turn in a solved riddle,
everyone "earns" a letter. Ensure that each child receives all
letters to spell the word hygiene. Give letters out in order for younger
kids or scramble the order for older kids.

Once all letters and the mystery message card
are found, have the children create the word "hygiene" on their
papers. Reinforce letter recognition with younger kids or have older kids
rearrange the words until they have correctly spelled the word. Check the spelling before the children glue
the letters on the paper.

Home Version - where to hide the riddles/clues

In the shower

Near some soap

With the paper towels

Under the hand sanitizer

Around a hair brush

In a drawer or closet with the shirts

In the refrigerator

Near the dental floss

School Version - hints for finding the
next riddle/clue

A place where you might see flowers

A place where you might find soap

A place where you might see a ball game

A place where you can find hand sanitizer

A place where you might hang a hat

A place where a box of tissues might be found

A place where one might control the temperature of the room

A place where you might look while brushing your teeth

Riddles for Hygiene Scavenger Hunt

Rhyming Clues for Scavenger Hunt

Answers to Riddles for Hygiene Scavenger Hunt

Shower

Soap

Towel

Sanitizer

Hairbrush

Sleeve

Cool

Floss

Letters Spelling the Word Hygiene

Teach Kids Importance of Hygiene

Mystery Message Card for Hygiene Scavenger Hunt

Mystery Message Card for Katrena's Hygiene Scavenger Hunt

A children's book that works well with this scavenger hunt is Tired of My Bath by Dicy McCullough. You can also find a PowerPoint game and puzzles related to hygiene and her book on her web site.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Pumpkins can readily bring out one's creative juices. With a big blank orange slate, one can make an endless variety of eye-catching designs using paint, markers, and a little bit of time. With a bit of glue, the pumpkin can grow various and sundry interesting additions to transform into...well...anything.

Our elementary school offers a pumpkin decorating contest each year in which children bring spare change and vote for their favorite designs by placing coins in the bucket beside favorite picks. After announcing the winner of the contest, the proceeds are then split among the teachers in order to purchase books for the classroom in the spring.

Many teachers are famous for having creativity – instructors are often challenged to create hands-on learning opportunities on a low budget. Decorating a pumpkin seems second nature to many classroom teachers.

Some teachers featured children in the class. For example, the Cinderella carriage displayed cards written by each student in which they listed their own dreams while another pumpkin displayed pictures of students.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Scavenger hunts are some of my kids' favorite activities. They are always excited when I come up with a new one, and I often post my clues and activities on this blog so that others can share in the excitement.

One of the easiest scavenger hunts imaginable is a digital photo version. The first time I tried one of these was at a children's museum. My youngest one was thrilled to be in an area that my two older kids found a little boring. No worries! I just slipped around the room snapping pictures of some objects, handed my digital camera over to the kids, and suddenly the area was incredibly cool for everyone!

Making a digital scavenger hunt can work great even if you have kids of different ages and ability levels. Simply make pictures of objects in a designated area. Make sure you take pictures that are a multiple of the number of kids who will be playing. For example, I have three daughters, so I might take 24 pictures, giving each child the opportunity to find eight items.

Provide directions for the kids, such as being very careful with the digital camera if you have them to carry it and to make sure not to point out the object if someone else is hunting for it. If you are taking pictures with certain children in mind, let the children know what order to take turns. For example, a younger child might need pictures of objects that are lower or can easily be seen from his or her vantage point and you might challenge older children by taking photos of a small portion of an object.

Once the kids have found all of the pictures, you might want to provide a prize or have another game idea ready. Don't be surprised if they ask you to do this one again! A digital scavenger hunt can work well inside or outside, and each one can be as unique as you wish to make it.

Monday, October 7, 2013

This Wizard of Oz themed indoor scavenger hunt highlights various scenes, characters, and life lessons from the popular original 1939 movie. It encourages literacy and critical thinking skills as kids read the rhyming clues, try to fill in the blanks, and then find, assemble, and read the final surprise. The scavenger hunt includes a short set-up time and very few supplies.

Click on the images below to enlarge before printing. Two images fit on one piece of paper.

Directions for playing the Wizard of Oz Scavenger Hunt

Print the 10 riddles and location prompts and cut down the center, separating the riddles from the prompts.

Print the 10 surprise ending clues, cut, and hide them in each area as described by each prompt.*

Place a piece of construction paper over the riddles so that the child(ren) can only see the latest one.

Have the child(ren) read the riddle and fill in the blank.

Once the child(ren) successfully solves the riddle, read the prompt that matches the number on the riddle.

The child(ren) will then search for the clue in the location described by the prompt.

Once all clues are found, assemble the words so that they may read the surprise sentence!**

*Clues may be hidden in order, or you might add more of a challenge by mixing them up. You may wish to cut out construction paper and attach the clues to the colored paper or hide in a colored paper pocket to add a little variety. If more than one child is playing, print a set of clues for each child, hiding each set in the described area so that every child will have the surprise sentence at the end.
**You might wish to have the child(ren) glue the sentence on a colorful piece of paper and draw his or her own picture of a Wizard of Oz scene as a memento.

Visit Katrena's Wildflower Bouquets site map for more scavenger hunts, printables, and family-friendly activities. If you are looking for a fun Wizard of Oz travel destination, you might consider Autumn at Oz.

About Me

I currently serve as a Faith Community Nurse at a local church. This is an ever-changing role in which I visit one-on-one with clients, provide education and advocacy, develop fitness challenges and lead group exercise classes, coordinate an annual health fair, and encourage health promotion and disease prevention within the community.
Before becoming a FCN, I worked as a staff nurse at a Bone Marrow Transplant Unit in a large teaching hospital for 17 1/2 years and have been teaching group exercise since 1999.
I developed the first online curriculum for nurse aides in North Carolina and still develop and teach some online classes for a local community college.